Kurdish referendum provokes instability concerns

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Monday's Kurdish independence referendum has provoked the concerns of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is worried about "the potentially destabilizing effects" it might have in that region of Iraq.

"The secretary-general respects the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq and considers that all outstanding issues between the federal government and the Kurdistan regional government should be resolved through structured dialogue and constructive compromise," Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The secretary-general expects that UN-mandated activities across Iraq, including in the Kurdistan region, will be allowed to continue unhindered and calls upon relevant authorities to continue with their support, said the statement.

The Iraqi Kurds on Monday cast their votes in a referendum that will determine the independence of the Kurdish region and the disputed areas that are currently under de facto Kurdish control.

A woman casts her vote at a polling station during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq, September 25, 2017. /Reuters Photo

The referendum was held despite intense international pressure on Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani to call it off, amid fears that it would spark fresh conflicts with Baghdad and with Iraq's powerful neighbors, Iran and Turkey.

The United States also warned that an independence referendum for Iraqi Kurdistan to break away from Baghdad will "increase instability."

"The United States is deeply disappointed that the Kurdistan Regional Government decided to conduct today a unilateral referendum on independence, including in areas outside of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

"The United States' historic relationship with the people of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region will not change in light of today's non-binding referendum, but we believe this step will increase instability and hardships for the Kurdistan region and its people."

According to the regional electoral committee, the results of Monday's referendum will be announced within two or three days.

Source(s): AFP ,Xinhua News Agency